Briefs

Airports of Thailand yesterday awarded Bt9.9 million in compensation to the owners of 41 buildings affected by noise pollution from Suvarnabhumi Airport. The money will be used by the owners to repair their properties.

Public debt in Nov

Public debt as of November was Bt3.4 trillion, or 37 per cent of gross domestic product, the Public Debt Management Office said yesterday.

About Bt107 billion was short-term debt and Bt3.3 trillion long-term debt.

Of the total amount, Bt404.5 billion was from foreign loans, while Bt3 trillion was borrowed domestically.

Lunar New Year sets

Charoen Pokphand Foods plans to boost chicken sales 15 per cent to 300,000 animals during the upcoming Chinese New Year festival.

The company will provide foods, particularly chicken and duck, suitable for offering to the spirits during the festival.

The company has created special variety sets that can be ordered.

Code-sharing deal

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has teamed up with Bangkok Airways in a new code-sharing agreement that will fly passengers between the Abu Dhabi-based airline's expanding global network and the popular Thai destinations of Phuket and Koh Samui.

 Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan said: "Asia is an important market for Etihad, and there is huge demand amongst our customers to travel beyond the Thai capital, which this new code-sharing agreement now allows. We are expecting the new services to be extremely popular, particularly with leisure travellers looking for a luxury beach break on two of Asia's most beautiful islands."

Pork prices up

Pork prices have gone up from Bt110 to Bt115 a kilogram to Bt115 to Bt120 ahead of Chinese New Year next week as pig farmers succumb to the sluggish economy. A source from the Swine Farmers Association yesterday said the farm price had risen from Bt52 a kilogram to Bt55, because fewer hogs were being raised.

"Many small and medium-sized pig farmers have walked away from the business, due to losses from the high cost of animal feed since last year, making for a lower number of pigs supplied to the market," the source said. - The Nation